


Prepare for an Aching the Rest of Your Life

by jbird181



Series: 13 Days of Falling in Love [12]
Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Pining, reality tv show
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-17 12:33:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13659072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jbird181/pseuds/jbird181
Summary: Eve and Cassandra are competing for Flynn's heart on a reality TV show, which would be easier if they weren't falling in love with each other."I applied for this show to put myself out there, to try dating for the first time, but I never expected to fall in love. I never expected you, Eve.”





	Prepare for an Aching the Rest of Your Life

**Author's Note:**

> Day 12: Reality TV Show
> 
> It's a year later than we meant to get this out, but we're much happier with the finished product, and we hope you enjoy it too. The title comes from [Looking Like You Just Woke Up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHaveiJZhjo) by The Front Bottoms.

_We started with sixteen contestants all vying for Bachelor Flynn Carsen’s heart: now we’re down to four, but only one can ultimately win the competition. Will it be Nicole, whose adventurous spirit mimics Flynn’s own? She did win the very first challenge, the rainforest scavenger hunt, but it's possible Nicole and Flynn are too similar to work out. Some people believe sparks are flying between Flynn and Simone, a sexy, straightforward singer. Their date last week went very well, and there's been a lot of speculation about what went on behind closed doors afterward. Others believe Flynn and Cassandra have chemistry due to their shared love of science. However, the audience favorite is Eve, an ex-NATO colonel. She and Flynn butted heads at first, but her organization and cool head are the perfect foil to his impulsive personality. Stay tuned for the elimination tomorrow that will determine who gets one final shot at Flynn’s heart, and who goes home alone, only on_ Cupid Countdown _._

If Eve goes home tomorrow, a secret part of her would be glad, relieved even. Not only does she miss her own bed and bathroom and living on her own schedule, but if she goes home tomorrow, it would mean she doesn’t have to keep trying to want Flynn.

A part of her does love him. Flynn is dazzling in a way, a whirlwind of spontaneity and obscure facts and occasional, accidental charm, and despite being exhausted by his inability or maybe refusal to have a serious conversation or listen to others, well.

A part of Eve loves Flynn regardless.

A part of Eve wants his excitement, his 1:00 AM epiphanies, his fingers cautious where they brush against her hand before interlocking with hers, the way he kissed her, literally sweeping her off her feet.

But the more she’s around Flynn, the more Eve feels… annoyed. His cute habits aren’t always as endearing as they were a week ago, and in another month? A year?

If Eve goes home tomorrow, she wouldn’t have to keep trying to make this work when Flynn isn’t.

But if Eve goes home tomorrow, she might never see Cassandra again.

Cassandra, who is walking next to her right now, their footsteps echoing in the hallway. Cassandra’s hair is sticking to her back, still wet from the pool. Eve wraps her own towel tighter around herself against the air conditioning and tries to forget how magical Cassandra looked, always, but especially that evening as they’d splashed around in the pool just the two of them, the lights embedded in the sides of the pool casting her in an otherworldly light. Cassandra was unmistakably beautiful and misleadingly delicate with a quiet inner strength that resonates with something deep within Eve. She is at once familiar and fascinating.

“Eve?”

They stop in front of Eve’s door. “Yes?”

Cassandra scrapes at a curl of peeling paint on the wall with her fingernail. “Eve, I… I’m going home tomorrow.”

Eve hadn’t planned for this.

“Flynn and I talked about it, and we agree, we’re just not meant to be, you know?”

“Cassandra—”

She looks away from the wall to meet Eve’s eyes, talking a mile a minute to make sure she gets every word out. “Eve, I always had this time-bomb in my head, and I didn’t want to hurt anyone, so I kept to myself and I told myself I was okay with never having relationships, but now… I applied for this show to put myself out there, to try dating for the first time, but I never expected to fall in love. I never expected you, Eve.”

Cassandra’s chest rises and falls rapidly as she searches Eve’s face. She has no idea what it’s showing her, but Cassandra's shivering, and that seems like a good place to start. “Why don’t you come inside and we’ll talk, away from the cameras,” Eve suggests. The producers would be upset with her, but the longer she was on this show, the less she cared about how the producers felt. This is not a conversation she wants to have in full view of half the country. 

“Okay." 

“Here,” Eve calls after rummaging through her drawers and tosses her a gray sweatshirt, then pulls another one on.

Cassandra bites her lip as she stares at the bundle in her hands, bewildered by Eve.

“You’re cold.”  

Cassandra puts it on. Eve sticks her hands in her pockets, breathes in and out. “It’s complicated, Cassandra.”

Cassandra smiles wryly. “You love him.”

“No,” Eve insists automatically. “I mean—”

“It’s okay, really. I didn’t expect… you guys are really cute together!”

“It’s complicated.” Cassandra laughs, not meanly but there’s an edge to it, too loud and too sharp to be happy. “I like you a lot, I do, Cassandra, and… I really want to see where this could go.” Cassandra freezes. “But I… I made a commitment to this show, and to Flynn, and I can’t, I won’t back out now.”

“I understand. I just, I didn’t want to have any more regrets, you know?” Cassandra says with a self-conscious shrug.

“I mean it, Cassandra. I like you, and,” Eve doesn’t want to have any regrets either. “After the show, when we’re both back in Portland, we should meet up. Talk, eat dinner, or whatever you want." 

Cassandra smiles. “I’d like that.” Eve grabs her phone off her desk and they exchange numbers. After they go through the motions though, the distance between them seems uncrossable. As much as Eve wants to reach out, especially now that she knows Cassandra would welcome it, it wouldn’t be fair to send such mixed signals, and Eve won’t break her word either. Although Eve knows it’s her own doing, she hates the new tension between them, when just hours ago conversation came as easily as breathing.

Cassandra shifts and tugs at the overlarge sweatshirt hanging off her shoulders. “It’s late, I should get to bed.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Here, you probably want this back,” sighs Cassandra, reaching to pull off Eve’s sweatshirt.

“Keep it.” A selfish part of Eve likes seeing Cassandra in her clothes.

“I can't, it's yours.”

“I insist, it’s cold out there.” It’s summer, but the nights are still cool. “You can give it back to me when we see each other again.”

Cassandra smiles, a little wistful. “Okay.”

Eve has to remind herself this parting is not final.

It isn’t, she sees Cassandra the next morning at the elimination ceremony, hugs her goodbye like everyone else, tells the camera “Yes, I’m sorry to see Cassandra go, she’s a good friend.”

She sees Cassandra walking to the car waiting to take her to the airport, pulling her suitcase along next to her, and Eve steps forward without thinking, a tug in her chest, and she can’t leave it like this, too many things unsaid.

“Wait!” Eve sprints across the pavement, the way her heart is pounding unrelated to the exercise, and finally Cassandra’s right there again, eyes wide and close enough to touch and well, Eve’s always been better at actions than words. 

“Can I—”

“Yes,” Cassandra whispers and cups her cheek, and Eve feels her smile when they kiss, noses bumping in their giddy laughter, and finally Cassandra’s lips on hers, better than she ever imagined. She doesn’t want to let go, doesn’t want to stop, but after too short a time Cassandra pulls away. “I have a flight to catch,” she murmurs apologetically.

“I know.” Eve kisses her again, closing her eyes and trying to commit each part of Cassandra to memory: the warmth of her skin, the curve of her waist, the way she sighs when Eve hugs her tighter. “Filming ends in two weeks.”

“Then I’ll see you in two weeks.”

Eve can’t wait to go home.


End file.
